It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding.
Caulking siding wall good vs bad.
Water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board.
Caulk is more rigid than sealants when dry.
Your goal is a neat looking seal over cracks and gaps.
Here s how to make the right choice.
For example the best caulk for windows is usually a sealant instead of a true caulk when choosing caulk vs.
It will have to withstand all the extremes that nature can dish out.
Always remember to match the caulking to the colour of the siding never to the colour of the trim.
Today s windows are designed to prevent leaks but all it takes is a small gap that s not adequately sealed with caulk for rain to seep through and saturate the wood in the wall beneath the.
A cartridge and caulk gun give a more continuous bead than a squeeze tube which is better for small projects.
Sealants hold up better in spaces that are prone to a lot of expansion and contraction.
Caulking windows to give them a finished look inside and out and seal out leaks and drafts is a fairly common diy task.
Most of the caulk on store shelves is basically one of four types.
While paint does tend to somewhat glue these pieces together caulking them is never advised and can cause permanent damage.
A cartridge or a squeeze tube.
Caulk comes in two forms.
But outdoor caulking deserves some extra attention.
But if done incorrectly it can lend a sloppy amateurish look.
The selection in the caulk aisle at home centers is mind boggling but actually choosing the right one is pretty simple.
Elastomeric polyurethane latex or silicone.
Any caulk that lives on a roof is going to get hammered by the elements.
Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked.
It grabs on tenaciously which you might think is a good thing right.
Siding windows and doors.
Exterior caulking is a lot like interior caulking.
When used on bare wood silicone can be deadly and destructive.
Also avoid caulking tongue and groove siding boards together.
Choose a solvent based sealant.
Silicone wood bad news.
After all the you want your caulk to have great adhesion and flexibility so it will seal things up for a long time.
Quad caulking is uv resistant and flexible and when it cures it shrinks about 30.
Cartridges typically have 9 to 11 ounces of caulk versus a squeeze tube which has 3 to 6 ounces.
Placing caulk over large portions of wood siding prohibits the natural movement of the wooden panels and can cause extensive damage to the exterior of your home.
As homeowners with this kind of siding know wood naturally expands and contracts with fluctuations in temperature and precipitation.
